Blink and you may miss it, but the small Eastern Bay of Plenty town of Taneatua is quickly becoming a treasure trove in the art world.

And no-one knows it more than Tuhoe artist and activist Tame Iti, who is leading the charge in promoting young Tuhoe artists through the Taneatua Art Gallery.

Tame Iti (left) working on an art piece at the Taneatua Art Gallery and below, the art piece Tame is putting up for auction. Photos: Facebook.

The once derelict villa in the heart of the tiny settlement has become a hive of activity in the last five months, as Tame and a number of art enthusiasts turned the building into a living piece of art.

Tomorrow (Friday, November 20), the gallery will open its doors and host its first auction featuring 20 items from well-known artists from around New Zealand, including Bridget Reweti, Amiee Ratana and Laurence Hughes.

One item is a piece Tame painted during his incarceration at Waikeria Prison for firearms offences.

Tame says the gallery has had a lot of support from the iwi.

'It's been open for five months now, and the response has been amazing,” says Tame.

All money raised will help continue the work of refurbishing the gallery and help to promote the many young artists from within the iwi.

The auction gets underway at the gallery at 6.30pm and is open to the public. Those who can't make the auction can register online here.